DirecTV’s New DVR Records 5 Shows at Once, Streams to Multiple TVs

DirecTV's Genie DVR can record up to five shows at once, and play back video to up to four TVs at once. Image: DirecTV

The DVR is a piece of technology that brings just as much pain into our lives as it does joy. Being able to record a TV show so you can watch it on your own time is a beautiful thing. Thank you, technology. But limitations like being able to record only two shows at a time and not being able to watch a third program while two are recording are points of frustration for TV watchers.

DirecTV says it has a solution — a new DVR called the Genie, which allows users to record up to five HD programs at the same time. And it’s one DVR for the whole house, capable of playing back content on any TV in any room, without the need for additional boxes. There’s also an opt-in feature called “Genie Recommends” that will suggest shows you might like based on your past viewing habits.

But the Genie, as with any product from pay-for-TV companies, won’t quite grant all your wishes. While it can record up to five shows at once, simultaneous playback is limited to four. Still, that means up to four different live or recorded HD shows playing on four different TVs at the same time from one box.

While those TVs won’t need separate set-top boxes, each will need a small receiver, called a Genie Mini, to connect to the DVR — unless those TVs RVU enabled and can connect to the DVR wirelessly. But so far, only a small number of TVs are shipping with certified RVU capability.

On the plus side, with 1 terabyte of storage space, DirecTV promises that the Genie can record up to four times as much programming as DVRs from cable companies. Most people should be able to record about 200 hours of HD content on a Genie, said Jon Gieselman, senior vice president of marketing at DirecTV.

Of course, there’s a cost associated with bringing a Genie and a Genie Mini into your home. Currently, for new DirecTV subscribers, the Genie and as many as four Genie Minis are free, but there’s an “advanced receiver service” fee of $20 per month that is required when taking on all the equipment. The $20 fee can be cut to $10 a month if a subscriber has auto bill pay set up on their account, Gieselman told Wired.

Existing customers won’t get the Genie or Genie Minis for free but will instead have to pay a one-time hardware charge that can be as much as $99 for each Genie and Genie Mini, according to Gieselman. Pricing varies depending on how long a subscriber has been a DirecTV customer, how old their existing hardware is and other promotions the company has going on, Gieselman said. Genie Mini’s aren’t currently available for existing DirecTV subscribers, but they will be starting next month.

“Prices will drop in November for the Genie across the board, but we actually haven’t decided how much everything will cost yet,” Gieselman said. “We’re going to wait to see what the demand is from customers. But the point is to wait until next month if you’re an existing customer.”

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